As world attention continues to focus on the Middle East where a new enemy has been identified, and should remain so for some time, some of us are slowly forgetting about our Cold War foes. Not me. After the Yukos scandal, I’ve been paying attention to Russia’s return-to-Communism via crude oil. Russia, who never really let the free market take hold, has been a quiet observer to the world economy, waiting, it would seem, until the stage was right to make it’s emergence into the world. The time isn’t right ? but it’s close.

Key set-up:

One: The distraction in the Middle East. This is a double-whammy. Not only does the world re-define the enemy, but it just so happens that the enemy has considerable control over the world’s oil market. By tacitly supporting the U.S., Russia plays two pair — the moral high card and the world’s economic fuel.

Two: China blossoms. With an attempted buy out of Unocal Corp, China made it glaringly obvious that they are here to compete for the world’s supply of oil. Although China did fold on appreciating the yuan, recent agreements with Russia as a main source of oil, lets Russia slip into the economic arena quietly, letting the U.S. wonder about the headline-stealing economic competitor.

Three: Bush has a feeling. After a two-hour meeting in June of 2001, Bush told reporters at a news conference that, “We [Putin and I] had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul, a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country.” The comment made headlines. It offered many reporters the opportunity to poke fun at Bush, the passionate conservative. The meeting was belittled, casting a jovial light on Russian-U.S. relations — a perfect cover.

Now, Russia is in the process of taking over the energy sector, most importantly those dealing in oil. Meanwhile, they have not only placed themselves in a position to be China’s main supplier of oil, but have made a move to become Europe’s as well. If it’s completed as planned, in 2010 a pipeline will link Russia with Germany, successfully bypassing the middlemen: Poland and Ukraine. Currently the world’s second-largest producer of petroleum, Russia’s expansion of these pipelines could significantly close the gap between it and the Middle East in terms of world oil production. The new revenue, a large percentage of which will go to the state, will surely help to rekindle the communist spirit for those in power.

But, that’s not all. You may be asking yourself, “How will building new pipelines to areas already purchasing oil from Russia help revive the Communist spirit? Pipelines, as opposed to shipping and rail, fall under the exclusive rule of the state. By funneling oil through this route, the state secures its control over the economic future of Russia. Also, this move allows quick access to oil-needy countries while maintaining the semblance of democracy in the country. With the completion of the oil pipelines, Russia can convince the world of the cost-effective use of the pipelines to deliver oil, while also commanding most if-not-all of the revenue garnered from the supply of oil, either via state-run companies that produce oil, or the use of the pipelines by private facilities.